Recovery of the DFMT Cryogenics Service
By André Henriques and Valmir Chitta, on behalf of the management committee and the user commission of Cryogenics
It is well known that cooling matter to cryogenic temperatures of liquid helium can be used to uncover fundamental physical processes, which is of invaluable importance for the advancement of science and technology.
Fully aware of the extraordinary potential of cryogenic research, in 1961 Mário Schenberg created the first helium liquefaction plant in Brazil, housed in the Department of Material Physics and Mechanics (DFMT). Since its foundation, DFMT Cryogenics has supplied helium to the Physics Institute and other Brazilian institutions, including hospitals. However, due to the lack of maintenance of equipment and infrastructure, and significant helium leaks into the atmosphere, at the beginning of 2022 Cryogenics was no longer able to provide these services. Some DFMT laboratories were forced to abandon cryogenic research activities for more than 3 years.
A year ago, DFMT Cryogenics was registered in USP Multi, the multi-user facilities platform of the University’s Office of Research and Innovation. The internal rules of the sector, as well as the management team and user committee, were approved by the IFUSP Congregation in its November 2024 meeting (as reported here). Since then, with the crucial support of the new department leadership, a team of a dozen skilled technicians from the department, and financial backing from FAPESP, Cryogenics has undergone a long and painstaking technical and administrative recovery process that is still ongoing. Some examples:
- Equipment was repaired, part of the infrastructure was refurbished, and major helium leaks were eliminated, avoiding waste of this very expensive resource.
- New liquefaction procedures were implemented, enabling the continuous operation of the liquefier, reducing the risk of blockages and equipment damage, increasing liquid helium productivity, and minimizing leaks.
- Cryogenics was computerized. Helium stock, service requests, services provided by Cryogenics, Cryogenics logs, among other information, can now be monitored in real time via the Cryogenics website.
As a result, helium recycling losses (percentage of helium lost in the gas-to-liquid conversion) were reduced by more than an order of magnitude, from 60% to less than 5%, which is close to the possible limit. There is still much to improve, but currently, Cryogenics is already able to meet the demand of the entire community. The smooth functioning of Cryogenics is also benefited by the liquefaction service offered to companies, in exchange for helium gas, ensuring the replacement of the fraction of helium lost during recycling.
For more information, visit the Cryogenics website.